Hydration, Hydration, Hydration!

You’d think it would be impossible to forget to drink water in this day and age with all the new fancy apps and bottles designed to keep you topped up (and that one annoying friend that reminds you every 10 minutes!), however the vast majority of us (89%!!) are still dehydrated most of the time.

How to tell?

Our bodies are made up of 60% water, so losing just 1% can cause your brain and mood to suffer. You’re also 114% more likely to make mistakes when you’re dehydrated, so it’s essential for us students to be getting enough of the good stuff to avoid those sloppy typos! There are 3 levels of dehydration- mild, moderate and severe, so its important to fix the problem before its severe as that can have serious health repercussions.

Mild-

Dark urine

Thirst

Only passing urine 2-4 times a day

Dry, sticky mouth

Moderate-

Headache

Muscle cramps

Dry lips and skin

Dry eyes

Hunger

Severe-

Feeling dizzy

Rapid heartbeat

Rapid breathing

Sunken eyes

Sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability

Fainting

If you or someone you know it showing signs of severe dehydration, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

It doesn’t have to be straight water all the time, you can also reach your intake through juices, cups of tea, watery fruits (think watermelon) etc. just make sure whatever it is isn’t packed full of sugar and chemicals, and actually has some h2o in first!

There’s an app for that!

There’s apps for everything and anything you can think of, so its no surprise there’s a number of them dedicated to keeping you hydrated. They give you frequent nudges to remind you to drink up, as well as enabling you to track how much you’ve had every day. Try apps such as Gulp and daily Water Tracker to give you an extra push!

Create a habit

It takes 21 days to create a habit, so if you stick to it for a mere 3 weeks you’re much more likely to carry on doing it in the long run. Once you notice how much better you feel, both inside and out, you’ll be determined to keep it up!

If this pigeon can do it, so can you.

Here at Abbey Rentals, your water bill is included in your rent meaning you can drink to your hearts content without paying a premium!